Ping's Library: Science fiction, fantasy, thrillers

<BODY BACKGROUND="images/wall2.jpg" BGCOLOR="White" TEXT="#0F8F0F" LINK="Blue" VLINK="Black" ALINK="Blue"> <CENTER><IMG SRC="images/books1.gif" ALT="Books " HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0 HEIGHT=113 WIDTH=150></CENTER> <CENTER><H3><A NAME="BOOKS">BOOKS</A></H3></CENTER> I have selected some of my personal favourite authors, plus a few I want to check out in the future, and dug up links to most of them. Most of the links on the author-specific pages will pass you on to the <A HREF="amazon.html"><IMG SRC="images/amlogo.gif" ALT="[amazon logo]" ALIGN=RIGHT WIDTH=67 HEIGHT=60 HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0><B>Amazon.com</B></A> bookstore, where you safely can purchase the books online with a discount.<BR> In order to achieve a broader scope, I have provided additional links through Yahoo for some of the authors. This way the links ought to be updated automagically (and without any work on my side).<P> <B>If you have any comments, reviews or information about any of the books/authors, then feel free to send me <A HREF="mailto:ping@piteraq.dk">e-mail</A>.</B><P> <IMG SRC="images/pooh_head.jpg" ALT="[Pooh]" ALIGN=LEFT WIDTH=75 HEIGHT=75 HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0>When I was a child, my father used to read from <B>A. A. Milne</B>'s Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Naturally I was hooked. I guess that it is a love that will never die. I hope my son will come to appreciate the stories as much as I did (and still do).<P> I am also very fond of the works of <B>Astrid Lindgren</B>. She is an inspired writer and really knows how to spellbind a child with her stories. Highly recommended<P> <B><A HREF="allistair_maclean.html" NAME="MACLEAN">Allistair Maclean</A></B> was one of the first authors whom I developed a preference for. Besides his thrillers, he has written an interesting book about James Cook, which I seem to have mislaid somewhere - will whoever borrowed it please return it !<P> I believe I have every book <A NAME="LUDLUM" HREF="robert_ludlum.html"><B>Robert Ludlum</B></A> has written so far. I don't know wether I like the Bourne-books of the humorous ones (The roads to Gandolfo and Omaha) better, but all that I've read by Ludlum, was above average - except for The Osterman Weekend.<P> <A HREF="james_clavell.html" NAME="JCLAVELL"><B>James Clavell</B></A> as the author of Shogun, has probably done more than most to further the interest in Japan and it's culture. Brilliant novel, and the rest are good too.<P> <B>Helen MacInnes</B>, really has it in for communists and nazis. Evidently she has looked behind the propaganda machines and seen reality. I like her style of writing and she knows how to tell a good story. My personal favourite is not one of the thrillers, but 'Friends and Lovers', which is a very sensitive story.<P> <B><A HREF="leon_uris.html" NAME="LURIS">Leon Uris</A></B> has written many good books, but there are two I especially like - Trinity gives a very good account of the reasons for some of the things that happen on in Ireland today, while Hadji does the same for Palestine. Greedy, ruthless, power-hungry leaders mislead others under the guise of religion.<P> <IMG SRC="images/books.gif" ALT="Books " HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0 HEIGHT=75 WIDTH=91 ALIGN=RIGHT>Although I prefer holding the book in my hand, there are alternatives: you will find most of the works of <A NAME="BURROUGHS" HREF="edgar_r_burroughs.html" NAME="TARZAN"><B>Edgar Rice Burroughs</B></A> in the <A HREF="http://www.germany.eu.net/books/gutenberg/gutenberg.html">Project Gutenberg Master Index</A>. The Tarzan and the Mars series are there, but I am still eagerly waiting for the stories set on venus to appear - I have only been able to find the first book in the series.<BR> The Gutenberg Project is a giant and ever growing collection of PD texts. There you will find most of the works by the classic authors like Jules Verne and Mark Twain. There are many websites, volunteers and supporters of Project Gutenberg around the world: listed below are sites known to be mirroring Project Gutenberg on a regular basis.<P> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.gutenberg.net/">www.gutenberg.net</a> - The definitive site for Project Gutenberg. <li><a href="http://sailor.gutenberg.org/gutenberg/">http://sailor.gutenberg.org/gutenberg/</A> - Sailor's Project Gutenberg Web Server <li><a href="http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/gutenberg/">http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/gutenberg/</a> - AARNet Mirror of Project Gutenberg in Australia <li><a href="http://gutenberg.etext.org/">http://gutenberg.etext.org</a> <li><a href="http://www.prairienet.org/pg/">http://www.prairienet.org/pg/</a> - PrairieNet <LI><A HREF="ftp://uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu/pub/etext/gutenberg/">ftp://uiarchive.cso.uiuc.edu/pub/etext/gutenberg/</A> </UL> <A HREF="gopher://gopher.lib.ncsu.edu/11/library/stacks/Alex">Alex: a catalogue of electronic texts</A>, is a place I need to explore further.<P> <IMG SRC="images/tc_sm.gif" ALT="Tom Clancy " ALIGN=LEFT WIDTH=100 HEIGHT=100 HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0>'<A HREF="tom_clancy.html#REDSTORM" NAME="T_CLANCY">Red Storm Rising</A>' was the first book by <A HREF="tom_clancy.html"><B>Tom Clancy</B></A>, that I read. Great novel (I had a hard time putting it down) and a quite plausible scenario too (I have little respect for the aspirations of politicians). I immediately started looking for other books by the author. I have still to read the books that come after '<A HREF="tom_clancy.html#REMORSE">Without Remorse</A>', but that is merely a question of economics, as I have drained most of the second-hand bookstores on the island for the books that I'm interested in. Books in Denmark are quite expensive ($5 in USA easily becomes $15 in Denmark).<P> <A HREF="http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Genres/Literary_Fiction/Authors/L_Amour__Louis/"><B>Louis L'Amour</B></A> is a favourite of my father in-law, so I try to be on the lookout for his books.<P> Every kid knows (or knew) Silver King by <A HREF="http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Genres/Literary_Fiction/Authors/London__Jack__1876_1916_/"><B>Jack London</B></A>. I like his style of writing and believe I have all of his works - in leather-back, none the less.<P> <A HREF="http://mirrors.yahoo.com/eff/blueribbon.html"><IMG SRC="../images/rib_bar_wh.gif" HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0 WIDTH=143 HEIGHT=30 ALIGN=RIGHT ALT=""></A> The British author <A HREF="http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Genres/Literary_Fiction/Authors/Rushdie__Salman/"><B>Salman Rushdie</B></A> is well known for his controversial 'Satanic Verses' and for shaking the Danish cabinet in its foundations (late 1996). I have no intention of reading his works, but merely wish to express my support for him. Being chased by fanatical ignorants is not an easy life.<P> Actually many islamic males seem have misunderstood quite a few things - was it not <B>The Prophet</B> himself, who said "<CITE>Never strike a woman - not even with a flower</CITE>!" (The sayings of <B>The Prophet</B> and <A HREF="http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/" NAME="The Holy Qur'an"><B>The Holy Qur'an</B></A> holds many a surprise for the ignorant). Try <A HREF="http://www.google.com/search?q=Qur'an&sourceid=opera&num=100&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8">searching Google for "Qur'an".</A> <CENTER><IMG SRC="images/786s.gif" ALT="Scripture " WIDTH=198 HEIGHT=79 HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0><BR> <CITE>In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful</CITE></CENTER><P> <FONT COLOR="#808080"><B>I am in the process of gathering information about the various aspects of Islam, but I am having difficulty in getting a broader view of the religion. I still need information about the <B>Sunni</B> and <B>Shiite</B> fractions, <B>Ahmadiyya</B> being the most visible fraction on the Web. If you have further information or references, it would be very welcome (but <I>please</I> no more Ahmadiyya information - I have more than 10 MB already) - <A HREF="mailto:ping@piteraq.dk">send e-mail</A>.</B></FONT><P> <A HREF="wilbur_smith.html" NAME="WILBURSMITH"><B>Wilbur Smith</B></A> is a writer of novels about Africa, its people, wildlife, and politics. He is an excellent writer and I have read most of his books, but they were borrowed. They are actually quite hard to come by in the second-hand shops that I frequent.<P> The books of <A HREF="nevil_shute.html" NAME="SHUTE"><B>Nevil Shute</B></A> are more than just stories - they make you think. One book that certainly gave me something to think about, is <I><A HREF="nevil_shute.html#BEACH">On the beach</A></I>. I read the book when I was in my mid-teens and it made a profound impression on me.<P> <CENTER><IMG SRC="../images/rd_bar.gif" ALT="" HEIGHT=11 WIDTH=640 BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM></CENTER><P> <H3><A NAME="SCIFI">Science-fiction and Fantasy </A></H3> The books by <A NAME="A_NORTON" HREF="andre_norton.html"><B>Andre Norton</B></A> that I have read so far, have a nice sensitive touch and several, e.g. 'The Pied Piper', are food for afterthought. Andre Norton is by many considered the Grand Lady of science-fiction and fantasy - she has written or co-written a massive amount of books. I have started reading <A HREF="andre_norton.html#BLACKTRILLUM">Black Trillium</A>, (written with <A HREF="#JMAY">Julian May</A> and <A HREF="#MZBRADLEY">Marion Zimmer Bradley</A>), once I got past the first few pages, it looks good.<P> <IMG SRC="../images/hitchhik.gif" ALT="DON'T PANIC " ALIGN=RIGHT WIDTH=75 HEIGHT=53 HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0>I was introduced to the bizarre universe of <A HREF="hhgttg.html" NAME="HHGTTG"><B>Douglas Adams</B></A> by a close friend, and was instantly smitten. <FONT COLOR="#FF0F0F">Beware of the coming of the great white handkerchief !</FONT><BR CLEAR=ALL><P> One of the great writers of science-fiction was <A NAME="ASIMOV" HREF="isaac_asimov.html"> <B>Isaac Asimov</B></A>. I like his galaxy and have read most of his sf-works. My personal favorites are 'Against stupidity... <A HREF="isaac_asimov.html#ASTGT">The Gods Themselves</A>...contend in vain' and '<A HREF="isaac_asimov.html#STEELCAVE">The Caves of Steel</A>', but most of the works that I have read are way above average. I like the way he managed to link most of his stories all the way from Lucky Starr, through the steel caves and the robot novels all the way to 'Foundation and Earth'.<P> I'm also very fond of <A NAME="HEINLEIN" HREF="robert_a_heinlein.html"><B>Robert A. Heinlein</B></A>'s works. The first story by Henlein that I read, perhaps even the first sci-fi, was <A HREF="robert_a_heinlein.html#HARSHMIST">The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress</A>, which to this day remains one of my favourite Heilein book, <CITE>Can you make toilets flush backward?</CITE>. His best book, in my view, is <A HREF="robert_a_heinlein.html#STRANGER">Stranger in a Strange Land</A>.<P> <IMG SRC="images/jrrt.gif" ALT="" ALIGN=LEFT WIDTH=68 HEIGHT=105 HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0>Some of the first fantasy I've read since the Grimm brothers, is <A HREF="j_r_r_tolkien.html" NAME="TOLKIEN"><B>J.R.R.Tolkien</B></A>. I came across 'The Hobbit' in a second-hand bookstore. It is a purchase I'll never regret. <P> After finishing The Lord of the Rings, I started looking for other books in the genre and came across the Shannara triology, written by <IMG SRC="images/shannara.gif" ALT="Shannara logo " ALIGN=RIGHT WIDTH=118 HEIGHT=62 HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0><A NAME="T_BROOKS" HREF="terry_brooks.html"><B>Terry Brooks</B></A>, who has also written the Magic Kingdom series. The latter is on the softer, humorous side, whereas the Shannara books are more like Tolkien. I love both series. I have just bought (but not yet read) '<A HREF="terry_brooks.html#TANGLEBOX">The Tanglebox</A>' and '<A HREF="terry_brooks.html#WITCHBREW">Witches brew</A>'. <BR CLEAR=ALL><P> <A HREF="http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Genres/Science_Fiction__Fantasy__and_Horror/Authors/Clarke__Arthur_C_/"><B>Arthur C. Clarke</B></A> has his moments too. I've enjoyed his RAMA series. However, don't make the mistake of reading them in one session - that's too heavy.<P> The Doona series by <A NAME="MCCAFFREY" HREF="anne_mccaffrey.html"><B>Anne McCaffrey</B></A> is good reading too. I haven't read any of her dragon stories yet (although I got myself <A HREF="anne_mccaffrey.html#DRAGONFLIGHT">Dragonflight</A> for christmas).<P> <IMG SRC="images/knownspace.gif" ALT="Known Space " ALIGN=LEFT WIDTH=185 HEIGHT=52 HSPACE=5 VSPACE=5 BORDER=0><A NAME="NIVEN" HREF="larry_niven.html"><B>Larry Niven</B></A> has created a fascinating galaxy - tales of known space. <A HREF="larry_niven.html#RINGWORLD">Ringworld</A> has become a classic in the genre and I must admit that I'm partial to the <A HREF="larry_niven.html#MANKZIN">Man-Kzin Wars</A> books. I'm constantly on the lookout for books by him and those who work with him <I>to expand the, er, knowledge</I> ;-). Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle together, is a great combination. I liked '<A HREF="larry_niven.html#HAMMER">Lucifer's Hammer</A>' very much and some of their other stories, like '<A HREF="larry_niven.html#MOTEEYE">The Mote in Gods eye</A>' and '<A HREF="larry_niven.html#GRIPHAND">The Gripping hand</A>' are books I've read more than once.<P> <A NAME="P_ANDERSON" HREF="poul_anderson.html"><B>Poul Anderson</B></A> also participates in Known Space and the stories I have read by him are good.<P> After having read some of the books they have co-authored, I think I'll have to look more into <A HREF="jody_l_nye.html" NAME="JLNYE"><B>Jody Lynn Nye</B></A>, <A HREF="julian_may.html" NAME="JMAY"><B>Julian May</B></A> and <A HREF="marion_z_bradley.html" NAME="MZBRADLEY"><B>Marion Zimmer Bradley</B></A><P> <A HREF="timothy_zahn.html" NAME="ZAHN"><B>Timothy Zahn</B></A> is another author I need to investigate further. I have read some of his StarWars novels, which were decent, but <A HREF="timothy_zahn.html#CONQPRIDE">Conquerors' Pride</A> was quite good.<P> Yet another author who has set his stories in the StarWars universe, is <A HREF="kevin_j_anderson.html" NAME="KJANDERSON"><B>Kevin J. Anderson</B></A>.<P> <A HREF="http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Literature/Genres/Literary_Fiction/Authors/Rice__Anne/"><B>Anne Rice</B></A> is an author I have heard much about. Her books are supposed to have real bite ;-). I'm looking forward to reading her books - when I come across any.<P> <FORM METHOD="get" ACTION="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/"> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="0" BGCOLOR="#ffffff" ALIGN="center"> <TR> <TD VALIGN="TOP" ALIGN="center"> <INPUT TYPE="TEXT" NAME="keyword" SIZE=20 VALUE=" "> <INPUT TYPE="HIDDEN" NAME="tag" VALUE="pingspages"> <INPUT TYPE="submit" VALUE="Search"> <BR > <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/pingspages"> <IMG SRC="images/logo-plain.gif" BORDER="0" VSPACE="2" ALT=""></A> <BR> </TD> </TR> </TABLE> </FORM> <CENTER><IMG SRC="../images/rd_bar.gif" ALT="" HEIGHT=11 WIDTH=640 BORDER=0 ALIGN=BOTTOM></CENTER> <CENTER> <TABLE ALIGN=CENTER><TR> <TD ALIGN="RIGHT"><FORM><INPUT TYPE=BUTTON VALUE=" Back " ONCLICK="history.back(-1)"></FORM><A HREF="JavaScript:history.back(-1)">Back to previous page</A></TD> <TD><FORM ACTION="/pindex.html" METHOD="GET"><INPUT TYPE="submit" VALUE=" Home "></FORM><A HREF="/pindex.html">Back to Ping's Homepage</A></TD> </TR></TABLE> </CENTER><P> <IMG SRC="http://cgi.inet.tele.dk/cgi-bin/nph-count?link=http://home1.inet.tele.dk/ping/books/books" ALT="[count]"> <FONT COLOR="Gray" SIZE="1">Updated 02-10-26 at 11:55</FONT> </BODY>